The Temple wall is built at a distance of half a mile around the Temple, a location on the Island that is approximately a day and a half's walk from the Barracks. The exterior of the Wall is adorned with hieroglyphs similar to those that appear on the column in the frozen wheel, and other locations throughout the island. Ben indicates that the wall is intended to keep outsiders from seeing the Temple, and later hints that not all of the Others are aware of its existence.

When Jin time-travelled to 1988, he met Danielle Rousseau and her science expedition team. Jin agreed to take the group to the radio tower on the Island, but the group's journey was interrupted when the Monster attacked them. One of the team members, Montand, was pulled by the Monster into a declivity, or hole in the ground, near a stone wall. The other members of the team, minus Danielle, went into the declivity after Montand. Jin moved through time once more, finding the area to be deserted but otherwise unchanged. Back at the beach, he saw Danielle confronting Robert after she had killed Brennan and Lacombe. She accused him and the others of being "changed" by the Monster. Robert told her it was not a monster, but a security system guarding the Temple. ("This Place Is Death")

In 2007, Ben, "Locke", and Sun came to the Temple wall so that Ben could be "judged" by the Monster. Ben told them that the wall was originally built to hide the Temple from outsiders, and that it was located half a mile away on the other side of the wall. Locke told Ben they were not going to enter through the door, but were instead going under it through the same hole the French science expedition entered. The declivity in The Temple Wall leads into The Tunnels.[1]

Structural details

The wall encountered by the science expedition comprised two stone wall sections meeting at a corner under which the Monster dragged Montand. Each of these sections held a false gateway crowned by a multi-story finial. Stylistically it could be associated with the architecture of the Dravidian period, which took place in south India (600-1565 A.D.). The hieroglyphs carved over the wall appear to be rudely carved on the otherwise delicate and intricate decoration.

In the Official Podcast for "This Place Is Death", the producers confirmed that the walls seen in the episode were merely an outer perimeter, and that one would need to hike past the walls to reach the actual Temple itself. They also referred to the area where the monster dragged Robert as 'the declivity of the Temple wall'. The declivity of the Temple wall leads to a portion of The Tunnels. [1]

Other details of the construction and function of the wall and the temple it protect remain unknown, but as Rousseau had stated that Montand lost his arm in the Dark Territory, it can be assumed that the outer wall is within this region, where the Monster is known to be highly active.

Trivia

The Truce stipulated that it would be violated if the DHARMA Initiative entered or violated any ruins on the island.

While time-travelling, Jin met the science team. When they were travelling through the jungle, the monster attacked them, dragging Montand to the Temple wall. Jin and the other members of the team attempted to rescue Montand, but the monster succeeded in dragging him into a hole in the ground. Jin came later back with Jack, Hurley and Kate to heal Sayid who had been shot.